Thursday, May 01, 2003
Review of Comorbidity of Affective, Anxiety, and Substance Use Review in
Current Opinion in Psychiatry at
Medscape - "This review will provide an update on the diagnoses treatment of co-occurring mood/anxiety and substance use disorders. Interest in co-occurring disorders is growing because of the prevalence and negative impact of comorbidity on course, treatment outcomes and prognoses of both disorders." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Britain Issues Guidance on Use of Shock Therapy Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) should only be used to achieve quick improvement of severe symptoms in patients with depression, catatonia or a prolonged manic episode, according to new guidelines issued by British authorities on Thursday. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence also said that ECT should be limited to patients whose condition is considered to be potentially life-threatening, and used only after other treatment options have failed." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Mental Health Works "Mental Health Works is an initiative of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario. Launched in 2001 as a partnership project involving the voluntary sector, government and business, Mental Health Works has emerged as a unique program that responds to a growing concern about mental health in the workplace. Mental Health Works helps organizations to recognize the important role they can play in supporting the mental health of their employees and how they can respond appropriately when employees experience mental health problems."
Shifting Head Start could cost children services, officials say (North Carolina) Story in the
Courier-Times - "If Head Start is taken from beneath the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and placed under the Department of Education, as has been proposed by the Bush administration, children and families could suffer, according to those who run the preschool program for at risk children. Carla Oakley, director of Person County's Head Start program and Earl Bradsher Preschool Center, said the 111 three- and four-year-olds in her program could lose the "comprehensive services" she and her staff are now able to offer. Those services include vision, dental, hearing, speech and mental health screenings that often pinpoint problems that could interfere with learning when affected children begin school."
National Council on Disability Calls for Changes in Juvenile Justice Story at
JoinTogether - "The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released a research study entitled "Addressing the Needs of Youth with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System: The Status of Evidence-Based Research". The report evaluates the emerging status of key policies and programs that affect children and youth with disabilities who have often been overlooked by service and research programs." See also the
full report.
House kills mental-health reform bill (Florida) Keynoter story - "The state Legislature has killed a bill that could have potentially eased the burden on local mental-health facilities and taken law enforcement officers out of the role of mental-health professionals. A bill aimed at reforming the Baker Act was killed by the House Tuesday, despite passing four committees."
Outpatient mental health may end (North Carolina) Fayetteville Online story - "Cape Fear Valley Health System is considering a plan to end outpatient psychiatric care, which would eliminate about 40 full-time jobs at the Bordeaux Center outpatient facility. Richard Parks, president of Cape Fear Valley Health System, said outpatient care was identified as one of three expendable Behavioral Health services."
